The rise and fall of America's greatest cyclist.
1992: Armstrong begins his career as professional cyclist after a successful stint as a triathlete.
Armstrong was a prodigious triathlete as a teenager, and won the national sprint-course triathlon in 1989 and 1990.
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1993: Armstrong wins the UCI Road World Championship and takes part in his first Tour de France.
1993 was the year Armstrong really splashed onto the cycling scene. He beat cycling legend Miguel Indurain to capture the '93 World Championship in Oslo, and also won his first Tour de France individual stage. He would struggle to maintain the same level of success over the next few years, however, as he worked to reform his bulky triathlete's body into one more suitable to cycling. In his book It's Not About the Bike, Armstrong would actually say the ravaging effects of his cancer helped him become an elite cyclist, as he needed to completely rebuild his body. Within a year, Armstrong would begin working with Dr. Michele Ferrari, who gave him advice about doping and treated him for over a decade, according to the 2012 United States Anti-Doping Agency report.
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August 1996: Armstrong rides in the Atlanta Olympics, but fails to medal.
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October 1996: Two months after the Olympics, Armstrong is diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer.
Armstrong was given less than a 50 percent chance of living, but underwent sugery and chemotherapy, and had one of his testicles removed. In February of 1997, Armstrong was cancer free.
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